Volume 11 of the Air Power and the Arab World, 1909-1955 mini-series continues the story of the men and machines of the first half century of military aviation in the Arab world. It focuses upon combat operations during the period of the Palestine War from 1 June to 31 August 1948. By that time, in Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan and newly-independent Syria and Lebanon, major efforts had already been made to strengthen these countries' armed forces. Egypt, Iraq, and Syria launched all-out efforts to bolster their air forces, and threw these into combat. While most subsequent commentators and historians stress they had failed to perform, if appearing at all, closer investigation and the removal many of layers of propaganda that have obscured the realities of this first Arab-Israeli War, show that the Arab air forces performed much better than previously thought. Arguably, available aircraft, armament, spares, and personnel had their limitations and weaknesses, and these had also become apparent as the fighting intensified and losses began to mouth. However, information from both official and unofficial Arab sources - published and unpublished - leaves no doubt about the commitment and courageous efforts of almost everybody involved. Volume 11 of Air Power and the Arab World focusses on day-to-day events in the First Arab-Israeli War, in the air, at sea, and on the ground. It does so in remarkable detail thanks to access to previously unpublished official military documentation, supplemented by translations from publications in Arabic, containing both official and personal accounts by those involved. The most remarkable of these is the Operational Diary of the REAF's Tactical Air Force based at el-Arish, in north-eastern Sinai. Air Power and the Arab World Volume 11 is illustrated by a rich collection of original period photographs - many of these never published before - and specially commissioned color illustrations. AUTHORS: Dr. David C Nicolle is a British historian specializing in the military history of the Middle Ages, with special interest in the Middle East and Arab countries. After working for BBC Arabic Service, he obtained his MA at SOAS, University of London, followed by a PhD at the University of Edinburgh. He then lectured in art history at Yarmouk University in Irbid, Jordan. Dr. Nicolle has published over 100 books about warfare ranging from Roman times to the twentieth century, mostly as sole author. He also co-authored the Arab MiGs series of books which covered the history of the Arab air forces at war with Israel from 1955 to 1973. Furthermore, he has appeared in several TV-documentaries, and has published numerous articles in the specialized press. Late Air Vice Marshal Gabr Ali Gabr PhD (EAF, ret.) served as the pilot of a De Havilland Vampire fighter jet during the Suez War, 1956. After concluding higher military education at the Air Warfare Institute in 1960, he served as an instructor in air tactics at the Air Warfare Institute in 1962-64. Between 1966-67, he was a staff officer during the June 1967 War and went on to be chief of the Operational Training Branch in 1968-73; he was also chief of of the Operations Group during the October 1973 War with Israel. After serving as an instructor in the art of operations and as the chief air force chair at High War College from 1977 until 1982, he received his PhD at Nasser High Academy in 1989. He then moved into writing and has since published seven books and dozens of studies and articles on the history of air warfare in Egypt and abroad. 85 b/w photos, 30 colour illustrations, 15 colour photos, 21 colour profiles, 15 tables, 5 b/w maps, 1 colour map
